The present application is related generally to airbags and airbag assemblies. More specifically, the present invention is related to airbag assemblies that include a member for restricting or altering the direction of deployment of an airbag.
Inflatable airbags have become standard equipment in modern automobiles. Such airbags typically include a bag portion that inflates when a predetermined condition is met (e.g., an automobile impact). Such airbags may be mounted in a steering wheel, in a portion of a dashboard, or in various other locations within the vehicle.
Conventional airbags used in vehicles are configured to inflate or deploy in the direction of a vehicle occupant. One issue with airbags that deploy in this manner is that in certain situations the impact of the airbag on the vehicle occupant may be greater than is desired. For example, in a front-mount or a mid-mount airbag installation, the deployment door of the airbag module may be directly in front of the chest of a relatively young child. In the event that the child is not properly positioned within the vehicle (e.g., has slid forward on a seat), the impact of the airbag on the chest of the child may be greater than would be desirable.